Caste politics erupts over Bihar police encounters

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Ever since Samrat Choudhary became Bihar Chief Minister on April 15, police encounters have increased sharply across the state. In the last five weeks, around 11 encounters have taken place in districts like Patna, Siwan, Bhagalpur, Nawada and Samastipur. Of these, two criminals were killed, while nine others were injured in police firing. Bihar Police has been informally calling these “half encounters” or “Operation Langda,” where accused criminals are shot in the leg during police action.

The encounters have now become a major political issue in Bihar.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has alleged that criminals from a particular caste are being targeted in police encounters. He indirectly claimed that people from the Yadav community are facing more police action.

Reacting to his allegation, Samrat Choudhary gave a sarcastic reply. “Some people are saying that the police should ask caste before carrying out an encounter...What kind of common sense is this?”.

The Chief Minister also said Bihar should be known for good governance and strong law and order. “It is important that Bihar should be known for good governance.”

He further said that he has instructed the Bihar Police to act quickly against criminals. “I have told the police that if anyone challenges the police, they must respond within 48 hours. There should be no delay.”

As the caste debate rages over recent encounters in the state, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi also joined the debate and targeted RJD over the caste issue. In a social media post, Manjhi said criminals do not have any caste, but he raised several questions for RJD leaders.

He asked why numerous prisoners in Bihar jails belong to one caste, why most land dispute and atrocity cases involve one caste, and why encroachment allegations on Dalit and Waqf land are also linked to one caste. “If you attack us, it is called politics. But if we reply, then it becomes a character issue? Dalits are no longer afraid. A strong reply will be given.”

It may be mentioned that one of the criminals killed after Samrat Choudhary became Chief Minister was Ramdhani Yadav. He was accused in the murder of the Executive Officer of Sultananganj Nagar Parishad in Bhagalpur. The second criminal killed was Sonu Yadav in Siwan. He was accused in the murder of BJP former MLC Manoj Kumar Singh’s nephew during a road rage incident. Manoj Kumar Singh’s brother-in-law was also injured in that firing incident. Both Ramdhani Yadav and Sonu Yadav belonged to the Yadav community.